December 9, 2010

"There are a number of positive studies on cranberry, and if women are currently consuming cranberry products for maintenance of urinary tract health, the results of this one study shouldn’t be a reason for them to change their current management practices."
- Amy Howell in the comments

Cranberry juice has been thought to decrease urinary tract infections but a U of Michigan study says maybe not. For the study, women with UTIs were asked to drink cranberry juice or a placebo twice a day for six months or until a UTI recurred. Twenty percent of women who had a recurrence drank cranberry juice; 14 percent of those who had another UTI drank the placebo. Researchers expected cranberry juice drinkers to suffer many fewer recurrences and say it’s possible that the placebo contained ingredients that may reduce UTIs. "Another possibility is that the study protocol kept participants better hydrated, leading them to urinate more frequently, therefore decreasing bacterial growth and reducing urinary tract infection symptoms,” says researcher Betsy Foxman.

The number of young people ages 31 to 64 in nursing homes increased to 14 percent, up from 10 percent a decade ago, reports NPR. For the findings, NPR's Investigative Unit analyzed federal data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Yet, NPR was unable to determine from the data why the number of young in nursing homes has increased. Nancy Miller of the University of Maryland told NPR that state budget cuts could be one reason for the increasing number of young in nursing homes. Some states are cutting programs that allow disabled people to live at home with the help of attendants. According to NPR, round 400,000 people across the country are on on state waiting lists for home-based care. That's double the number just a decade ago.

On average, 30 million people in the U.S. drive drunk each year, while 10 million drive under the influence of drugs, reports CBS News. The figures come from a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). While the number of impaired drivers on the road seems overwhelming, the new figures represent a slight decrease over previous years. Among states, the number of people driving under the influence varied widely, but Wisconsin, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Vermont had the highest rates. Utah and Mississippi had the lowest rates of drunk driving, while Iowa and New Jersey had the lowest drugged driving rates. Young people ages 16 to 25 were more likely than those 26 and older to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare today announced a recall of 13 million packages of Rolaids that may contain foreign materials like metal or wood. The recall involves all lots of the following products distributed nationwide: Rolaids Extra Strength Softchews, Rolaids Extra Strength plus Gas Softchews, as well as Rolaids Multi-Symptom plus Anti-Gas Softchews. CNN reports that McNeil Consumer Healthcare, part of Johnson & Johnson, has stopped production of the affected products and is investigating the problem. Johnson & Johnson believes that the foreign particles were potentially introduced during the manufacturing process. Consumers may call 1-888-222-6036 for more information about the recall.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida has given the boot to a McDonald’s located within the Magic Kingdom and replaced it with a popular vegan, gluten-free cupcake retail store called BabyCakes, originally founded in New York City’s Lower East Side. The store also features all-natural, organic and allergen-free treats as well. Erin McKenna, the founder of BabyCakes, writes that she was approached several years ago to participate in a project to bring healthier food to Disney. The “cupcakeria” is open and located within the Downtown Disney Marketplace. Ms. McKenna will be signing copies of her cookbook, also named BabyCakes, this Friday, December 10 between 1 and 2 pm. In addition to the NYC and Disney locations, BabyCakes can also be found in Los Angeles.

A new study has found that, contrary to decades of doctors’ advice, weight lifting exercises may be beneficial for breast cancer survivors, lowering their chances of developing lymphedema, a painful swelling of the limbs, rather than increasing the risk. Breast cancer patients who have had lymph nodes removed from the armpit-area are often told to avoid lifting any substantial weights on that side. However, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine suspected that this actually increased the risk of the lymphedema because it left the woman with weakened arms. Women who followed a 13-week supervised weight lifting program had only an 11 percent chance of developing lymphedema versus 17 percent of women who didn’t lift.

Being a good parental role model certainly has a positive effect on the eating habits of children. But a new study suggests that the role of parental influence on calorie intake and fat consumption is weakening due to a host of other factors. Researchers from Johns Hopkins reviewed 24 studies on children’s eating habits and found the family environment only plays a partial role. “Young people’s eating patterns are influenced by many complex factors,” says lead author Dr. Youfa Wang. Schools, peer influence, government guidelines and advertising are all part of the complex factors that influence the eating habits of a child. In order to promote healthy eating, says Dr. Wang, attention must be paid to all factors affecting the food environment of children.

While low vitamin D levels are associated with a variety of health conditions, having levels that are high do not appear to reduce risk, particularly for older women. Researchers recently found that in women 69 and older, vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/ml and greater than 30 mg/ml were both associated with an increased likelihood of frailty. Women are considered to be frail if they have symptoms such as a slower walking speed or weak hand grip. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to weakness and slowness, but women with higher levels did not appear to be more protected. The study researchers say that the findings underscore the need for more well-designed studies about vitamin D supplements and that the current recommendations for the vitamin are easily achievable by food and sunlight.

"Pssssst, Heather: Financial institutions do not lend to finance satellite operations of failed businesses"
- Phoenix in the comments

Heather Mills, best known for being the ex of Beatle’s Paul McCartney, opened a vegan restaurant in Britain in July of 2009 called VBites. She told the UK’s Daily Express this week that she plans to expand the restaurant into a franchise that will one day be more popular than McDonald’s. Although the sole restaurant, located at Hove Lagoon in Kingsway, is closed for the winter due to lack of business, she predicts that in 10 years there will be more of her vegan eateries in the country than the current fast food giant. Among the items on the menu are an 8 dollar Beef-style Soya Burger, 12 dollar soy cheese pizzas, and 11 dollar Greek salads. There is also a children’s menu with burgers, soy “chicken-style” nuggets, and “fish-style” fingers.